Thursday, February 05, 2015

Dax won the Shining Star Award in October for Integrity! He was very excited to have earned it due to the fact that his peers voted on it and it wasn't just based on teacher recommendation as in previous years. As a parent, integrity is a HUGE thing to get noticed in your child especially by other children. So very happy for him!

He also participated in Safety Patrol which is a group of 5th graders who help with carline to assist kids getting out of cars and shutting doors during the morning dropoff line. We had to get there EARLY and for the most part we did okay but we had a few mornings where we didn't quite make it before the line was officially moving. Oops!

And lastly I don't have any pictures of this really but he was chosen as an Ambassador. These kids are 4th and 5th graders chosen by administration based on an application process to represent the school when other professionals visit as well as give feedback on issues to the administration. They had a visiting group of people come on the BYOT (bring your own technology) tour and they were interviewed. Mrs. Hamilton, the counselor, spoke very highly of the group and complimented them on their clarity of speech and manners.

While the kids were heading back to school, David went with Doug and Lex and hiked around "our mountain" (Rainier) on the Wonderland Trail . I love seeing what hiking has become to him! He gets that gleam in his eye when he talks about hitting the woods again and I love it. I hope that he and the boys (and Korwyn and I) can add many a wooded memory to our list of experiences in the future!

The fellas started 3rd and 5th this year in August! We had some family jump time before we headed out. I missed them a lot but K and I had some great connection time while they were away playing with Strawberry Shortcake etc. She started PreK3 in early September. I have all of them foam hearts (the boys were blue and orange) to carry in their pocket but I only took a picture of hers. She loves school and her teacher and all her friends.

(Special thanks goes to Nolan Roth for donating a huge tub of Legos to use at meetings, the Lego Store, and Harris Family Dentistry for donations, Gracemont Assisted Living activity directors for allowing its participation.)

This was not something I really wanted to do. When Cole dreams, he dreams BIG!! From the time this dream began out loud, I knew it would take a gift of hospitality and I wouldn't call that one of my born gifts. Plus as a Cub Scout mom of two scouts I was "hospitalitied-out".

I do value my creative boys though and as Cole continued to dream and his brother valued him by listening to his dreams and investing his own thoughts, I could not deny the growth that was occurring in them despite the fact that I kind of wanted to avoid the growth that it would require in me.

I do not have pictures of what I want so desperately to remember (unfortunately going to have to depend on my brain for that). This took so much work and they worked hard! It took time and they sacrificed that! From cleaning the house to prepare to host, researching ideas and themes, building and rebuilding in consideration of others, preparing their tailgate dish of pepperoni and cheese skewers, setting up and tearing down, cleaning up after it was over, taking donations to their drop-off locations, and interacting with the new people there. It asked them to give up a significant amount of their summer, to be stretched in new situations, and to lead though they are young.

Moments without the camera or working too hard to snap:

1) When we went back to Gracemont to pick up the Lego Flag. The ladies sitting out on the porch were smiling so much and sharing memories of when their own children were building things and how they wished they had saved some. They thanked us, stating how they would all come by the table where it was to see it and share memories with each other while there, and asked if we would bring it back next year. I hope to always remember their faces and the faces of the boys and how astonishingly proud Cole was that they had liked the card and enjoyed the flag during the week.

2) The boys sweeping the garage each time, arranging and rearranging activities to be just right.

3) Sorting backpacks with the fellas and Brinleigh and Ashlyn Hartin at Dawson Middle with many other volunteers when we dropped off our donations.

4) How much they considered one another in the process and how they would specifically think of the younger kiddos in planning. They would come up with something exciting for them and then realize that may be too hard and then scale it back or come up with an alternative.

5) What some of the other parents shared about the lessons their own kids learned. Rediscovering a love of legos to get away from electronics for a bit. Realizing they could build with imagination and no instructions. Gaining confidence to move away from mom and play. Working hard to achieve something to share. Gaining insight from others' ideas. Bringing joy to those in need. How much more we can do together.

God definitely brought more to the table than I could have ever asked or imagined. He does that! See Ephesians 3:20-21

was so thankful to have camera for these two pics of them helping two boys we all adore

(Yes, Korwyn was more of a liability than asset in this endeavor, but we made sure none of her's made it on the tray.)

Mom Lessons (so many -top 5)

5) If my kids want to, chances are there are more who would want to as well. I doubted how well this would turn out...

4) The best things are sometimes the hardest (repeat learning)

3) Pepperoni and cheese on toothpicks ROCK!

2) My house does not have to be spotless and wonderfully decorated for me to invest in people (just needs a germ-less bathroom:).

a) they may not notice all the imperfections I do

b)if they do, they can go home and feel better about their own house.

1) My kids have great hearts! Yes, they should be able to build on what I do BUT I can build on what they do too.